What My Plant-Based Kids Ate for Lunch #9: All Green, No Food Dye Needed

This year my kids’ Spring Break was quite early, with spring not even officially beginning until next week. And it just so happens that our last day of break fell on Day Light Saving Time. Needless to say when Monday rolled around we were all missing that extra hour of sleep so very much. In order to brighten up my kids’ first week back from break, I decided to whip up a fun themed lunch for Saint Patrick’s Day (minus the corned beef). I am not typically a “themed lunch makin’ kind of mom,” but I’ll use any excuse to get those nutrient rich green foods into my kids!

What My Plant-Based Kids Ate for Lunch Today #8: Bento Box Noodles

Is it just me, or is January the time of year when parents are officially over lunch packing? I know I am. Maybe it’s because most of the colorful fruits of summer and fall are out of season. Maybe it’s the cold weather or the fact that it gets dark at 5pm that has drained me of my creativity. Whatever the reason, I just don’t feel motivated to create fun and interesting lunches the way I did back in August.

What My Plant-Based Kids Ate for Lunch Today #7: Veggie “Meatballs”

My school-aged kids and I had a recent conversation that went a little something like this:

What I Ate for Lunch Today: Park Picnic Edition (+ a vitamin water recipe!)

Summer is well under way and it is starting to get HOT in Texas. In order to beat the heat and get those stir-crazy kids out of the house, we head to the splash pad. It’s like running through the sprinklers 2.0.

What My Plant-Based Kids Ate for Lunch Today 3: Pick Plates

If you’ve ever had lunch with a picky toddler, you know that the golden rule at mealtime is all components of said meal must be separate. Don’t you come at them with some type of “mixed” food like a vegetable hash or casserole. And heaven forbid the sauce be ON TOP of the pasta. That stuff should be on the side in its own dish where it can’t contaminate the pasta. Geeze, mom. Get it together.

What My Plant-Based Husband Ate for “Lunch” Today: Lunchbox Edition

My husband works 6 days a week. The benefit of working locally is that he is often able to stop by the house for lunch while the little ones nap. We get a few minutes to chat and hang out before he heads back to work and the kids and I head out to run errands or go to dance class. Husband doesn’t usually make it home before 9:30 pm, so he has dinner quite late (#businessownerproblems). Around 5-6 pm he gets hungry, seeing as his last meal was 4+ hours ago. So I always pack him a “lunch/dinner” meal.

What My Plant-Based Kids Ate for Lunch Today

This girl loves her salad

Lunch is our favorite meal of the day. We aren’t rushing to get out the door for school or just getting back home from dance class or errands. Even my oldest daughter, who’s in 1^st grade, says that lunchtime is her favorite because she gets to spend it chatting with her friends and scoping out what other kids are eating. She often reports back to me that many of her friends bring candy and “junk food” to school, go crazy on the playground, and then fall asleep during “Silent Reading” time after recess. Out of the mouths of babes…